Nicholas was distracted from his jealousy when the butler knocked on his door and said he came with refreshments for the king's guests.
"Come in." Nicholas was secretly relieved that the butler came. He could hide his feelings and put up a friendly smile again toward the family.
"Your Majesty." The butler entered with two servants carrying trays filled with a teapot and cups, and several jars of cookies. The three of them bowed their bodies to pay respect and with the wave of his hand, Nicholas asked them to put everything on the table before his guests.
"It's a nice surprise to see you all," Nicholas said with a sincere smile. "Please have some tea."
The butler smiled at the guests and flawlessly poured tea for them. Sophie mouthed her thank you and smiled back. She looked at her husband but Leland was staring at Nicholas impatiently.
It seemed, the man wanted to say something and was unhappy to see the butler and servants disturbing the moment. Nicholas raised a brow and motioned his butler and the servants to leave them. He knew that those people were not supposed to witness his family affair.
Once the door was closed behind the butler, Nicholas nodded at Leland. He could tell there was something urgent behind the reason Leland brought his entire family here.
"I need to go somewhere and I don't feel safe leaving my family at the manor," Leland said without further ado. "That's why I am asking your help."
Nicholas looked at Leland questioningly. He really didn't expect that this day would come.
"Sure, I'd gladly help in any way I can," he quickly replied. "Where are you going if I may ask?"
"It's a secret, but my mate knows," said Leland. "I just can't tell you about it."
Nicholas finally turned to look at Sophie and his heart fluttered at the sight of this beautiful woman of his dreams, who now looked at him with a smile. Nicholas maintained his calm demeanor when he asked Sophie, "Are you okay about it?"
Sophie nodded. "Yes."
"Dad, father said we will stay in the royal palace for a few days," Luciel suddenly chimed in. "I am so excited."
"Several days?" Nicholas was very happy to hear that. This was truly an unexpected and most wonderful surprise he would never dare dream of. "That's wonderful."
He looked at Leland with mixed feelings. On the one hand, he was so happy to have his family with him for several days, that included the woman who gave birth to his sons, not just Luciel and Jan. However, he had a bad feeling about the reason why Leland decided to take this drastic step.
Why?
"Only for several days," Leland said. "My beta is not around, he is busy preparing for his own mating ritual and I need to go somewhere important. I hope I won't trouble you too much. I just think the royal palace is the safest place for them at the moment."
"Understood," said Nicholas. "When do you need to go? I will have Sophie and the kids sorted in my mother's palace. She would be thrilled to meet them."
Nicholas was intentionally showing Leland that he would keep his space from Sophie by immediately explaining that he would allow the woman to stay near his mother, not near him in the main palace. He thought this was such good progress and he hoped that Leland would see through him and trust him more in the future.
If Sophie's visit this time went well, maybe Leland would be open to friendship with Nicholas and allow his family to come to the royal palace more often.
Nicholas' words satisfied Leland. He remembered that Queen Marianne was a caring woman who would definitely treat Sophie and the kids well. He appreciated Nicholas' gesture.
"I need to leave in the evening," said Leland.
"Well then, would you stay for dinner?" Nicholas asked, looking hopeful. "The royal family would love to welcome your family as our guests."
Sophie looked at her husband and asked him with her eyes to accept the dinner invitation. She wanted to be with him for as long as possible. Besides, she had not met Queen Marianne after Karenina's birthday. The situation was different now.
When they met the last time, the old queen didn't know Sophie was the mother of her grandsons. Now they would meet with this new knowledge and Sophie was not sure how she should treat Queen Marianne. It might feel a little awkward.
However, if she had Leland by her side, it would feel less awkward because her status then and now was still the same, as Duke Romanov's wife.
Leland nodded flatly. "I can do dinner."
"That's great. That's great." Nicholas was truly happy. He motioned them to drink the tea. "Have some tea."
"Thank you," said Sophie.
Nicholas cleared his throat and tilted his face toward the basket beside Sophie. "Is there anything specific you need to prepare for the little ones? I can have my people get them ready. There have never been any babies in the royal palace for decades and I am not sure what to prepare..."
Sophie shook her head and chuckled. "They are not fragile like human babies who can just sleep and cry for food. You will see them run around and make chaos when they wake up. We just need to always keep an eye on them because they are so active and curious."
"Oh... interesting," said Nicholas. He learned new things every day about lycans. "They are so adorable."
His words were sincere. He saw the two furballs and thought they were so cute. Ahh... of course, with Sophie's and Leland's genes, he could definitely see how the two babies look so damn beautiful.
His sons were beautiful too. Sophie truly gave birth to lovely children.
"Thank you." This time, it was Leland who spoke. His usually expressionless eyes were filled with happiness and pride when he lowered his face to watch his babies sleeping. His eyes curved up faintly in a very rare smile.
Nicholas recognized that gaze. It was the same gaze he gave his sons whenever he looked at them and thanked heavens that he was blessed with such wonderful children.
He sipped his tea and his mind wandered. He would take days off from work and spend time with Luciel and Jan, if Sophie allowed him, with their younger siblings as well. No matter what, they were family now.
Since the little ones were Luciel's and Jan's siblings, they were like Nicholas' stepchildren by extension. So, he would want to get to know them too.
"Let me ask the butler to prepare everything and then we can get you all sorted." Nicholas got up from his chair, patted Luciel and Jan on the shoulders, and then left the family in his study.
***
Queen Marianne was over the moon when she heard that the royal palace was hosting Sophie Romanov and her family for several days. She immediately welcomed the family when they stepped into the inner palace, where she resided.
"Good evening, Sophie," said the queen who immediately embraced Sophie when she saw her. "You look so beautiful and healthy. I am happy for you."
"Thank you, Your Grace," said Sophie, giving her a curtsey. "We are very happy to be here."
"Please have a seat," said the old queen. "We will start dinner now."
She motioned them to all sit so dinner could start. Nicholas seated his mother at the head of the table while he took a chair to her right, followed by his children. He did it because he wanted to sit as his guests' equal, as Luciel and Jan's father, not the king.
Meanwhile. Leland and Sophie sat on the other side of Queen Marianne. At a glance, they looked like a happy blended family, eating dinner together.
The queen was secretly very happy she would be hosting Sophie and her grandsons for several days. She was determined to talk to Sophie and get to know the woman better. After the queen found out that Sophia Romanov gave birth to her grandsons, Queen Marianne instantly felt a special fondness for her.
She definitely saw Sophie as a better woman than Karenina. Like Nicholas, she also regretted the fact that Nicholas and Sophie had to be separated in the past. If only things happened differently, she would already have her daughter-in-law and grandsons that she so longed for.
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